The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – All Dungeons and Bosses

The 13th mainline Legend of Zelda game and the first for the Nintendo DS, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is an important, albeit overlooked, gem in the franchise. As the first game in the series to utilize touch controls, Phantom Hourglass is an important step forward in terms of the series’ innovation. Further, Phantom Hourglass is noteworthy for being the first handheld Zelda title solely developed by Nintendo since Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy. Following the initial handheld Zelda adventure, Nintendo would partner with Capcom for every subsequent handheld entry in the series. As the debut Zelda adventure on the DS and the first in a duo of titles for the system, Phantom Hourglass is a noteworthy footnote in the series’ history, and looking at all dungeons in the game shows that it’s classic Zelda despite its atypical control scheme.

One of the more interesting ways that Phantom Hourglass switches up series convention actually comes through in its dungeons. Specifically, Phantom Hourglass builds on an idea introduced in The Wind Waker by having a central dungeon players return to time and again throughout the adventure. While Wind Waker would have players visit the Forsaken Fortress twice, Phantom Hourglass has players enter the game’s final dungeon 6 different times throughout Link’s journey to save Tetra/Princess Zelda. And, as the direct sequel/follow-up to the events of Wind Waker, it makes sense that Phantom Hourglass would build on ideas introduced in the seminal GameCube Zelda title.

Temple of Fire

The first real dungeon that Link ventures to following a brief detour and initial visit to The Temple of the Ocean King, the Temple of Fire is about as straightforward as a Zelda dungeon can be. The dungeon itself has a central theme of fire, including several flame-elemental enemies and a useful key item for dispatching them — the Boomerang. Link will also need the Boomerang to deal with the dungeon’s boss, Blaaz, as is typically the case in most classic Zelda games. Ultimately, the Temple of Fire is a great first tutorial for using Phantom Hourglass‘ touchscreen controls for fighting enemies and solving puzzles.

Enemies

• Face Lamp
• Fire Bubble
• Fire Keese
• Gel
• Keese
• Octorok
• Rat
• Red ChuChu
• Yellow ChuChu

Items

• Boomerang (Dungeon Key Item)
• Leaf (Spirit of Power)
• Power Gem
• Heart Container

Boss

• Blaaz, Master of Fire

After initially appearing as a singular foe, the Temple of Fire’s boss enemy Blaaz will split into three smaller forms. Each of these smaller forms appears identical but actually has different numbers of horns, which Link can track on the DS’ bottom screen. Using the Boomerang, players will need to chart a path and target Blaaz’s three forms in descending order from most horns to least. Doing so will cause Blaaz to reform into his true form, making him vulnerable to sword slashes. Do this a few times to defeat Blaaz and clear the Temple of Fire.

Temple of Wind

On the Isle of Gust, Link will venture into Phantom Hourglass‘ second dungeon, the Temple of Wind. Again, as the name of the temple suggests, many of the puzzles and challenges inside involve manipulating gusts of wind to raise and lower levels of sand. Once Link acquires the temple’s main treasure, the Bomb Bag, most of the puzzles begin to revolve around using the Bombs in creative ways. Areas of the temple that are filled with sand are swarming with Sandworms that Link will need to defeat using either his Bombs or nearby Bomb Flowers.

Enemies

• Keese
• Miniblin
• Red ChuChu
• Rock ChuChu
• Rope
• Sandworm

Items

• Bomb Bag (Dungeon Key Item)
• Neri (Spirit of Wisdom)
• Sand of Hours
• Heart Container

Boss

• Cyclok

Like most bosses in classic-style Zelda games, Cyclok is only vulnerable to the key item from the dungeon players encounter him in. In this case, that’s Bombs from Link’s new Bomb Bag, which he can use to toss into the wind geysers the enemy creates to damage him and leave him vulnerable to follow-up sword attacks. Surprisingly, using the DS’ touchscreen controls to chart the arc of Link’s Bomb throws makes this fight easier than it might be with a standard control scheme.

Temple of Courage

Simply getting access to the part of Molida Island where the Temple of Courage lies is a challenge in and of itself. Fitting, considering that the dungeon marks the third and final part of the initial chapter of Link’s journey in Phantom Hourglass. The central theme of the dungeon, as the name implies, is courage, with Link needing to cross invisible platforms while traversing specific directions and flipping far-off switches. The dungeon’s key item, the Bow, becomes increasingly handy in the latter parts of the temple, allowing Link to flip otherwise inaccessible switches and cross to new areas.

Enemies

• Beamos
• Blade Trap
• Gel
• Green ChuChu
• Keese
• Moldorm
• Octorok
• Pols Voice
• Shell Beast
• Winder

Items

• Bow (Dungeon Key Item)
• Courage Gem
• Power Gem
• Heart Container

Boss

• Crayk, Bane of Courage

The fight against Crayk is one of the trickier battles in Phantom Hourglass thanks to its multiple phases. While the second phase of the battle controls like other fights in Phantom Hourglass, the first phase forces Link to view the fight from Crayk’s perspective in first-person. As such, it becomes tricky trying to correctly aim shots from the Bow to hit Crayk in his weak spot. With a little patience and timing, the general flow of strategically aiming the Bow falls into place, giving way to the much easier second phase. During the second phase, Link can slash Crayk’s face, causing him to retreat into his shell and expose his vulnerable underside. Slash the glowing blue weak part of his underside a few times to defeat this monster and rescue the fairy revealing the identity of the Spirit of Courage.

Ghost Ship

Players will actually come across the Ghost Ship early on in Phantom Hourglass, as it’s central to the game’s plot and initiating event for the main conflict. Together with Tetra and her crew, Link sets off in search of the Ghost Ship reportedly harassing a section of uncharted waters. After coming into contact with the ship, Tetra is captured and trapped inside, prompting Link to try and find a way in. Rescuing the three spirits of Courage, Power, and Wisdom allows Link to return and face off against the Cubus Sisters, after which he discovers that Bellum is in control of the ship.

Enemies

• Floor Spikes
• Poe
• Rat
• Reapling
• Rope
• Skulltula

Items

• Heart Container

Boss

• Diabolical Cubus Sisters

Returning to the Ghost Ship in Phantom Hourglass sees the location effectively become the game’s fourth dungeon. It’s on this return trip that exploring the ship culminates in a fight against the Cubus Sisters. Link will meet and “rescue” the four Cubus Sisters during his time in the dungeon before they reveal their true form and challenge him to a match of “Dead Man’s Volley”. The fight itself is actually fairly similar to the battle against Agahnim in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Once the battle begins, the four sisters will fly around the arena, with three of them shooting lasers at Link and one shooting a glowing energy ball. This ball is the object that Link must “volley” back to the sisters by hitting it with his sword. As each sister is defeated, the battle will speed up, but the general strategy remains the same.

Goron Temple

The fifth dungeon in Phantom Hourglass and the first major challenge of the game’s second half, the Goron Temple is a test of everything Link and the player have learned up to this point in the adventure. Players must utilize just about every item in Link’s arsenal while also facing some of the more challenging foes the game has to offer (as well as using them in helping to solve the dungeon’s puzzles). The second half of the dungeon introduces a unique mechanic where players get to switch between Link and Gongoron to work together and solve puzzles, eventually earning the dungeon’s key item: the Bombchu.

Enemies

• Armos
• Beamos
• Blue ChuChu
• Eye Brute
• Eye Slug
• Fire Bubble
• Flying Jar
• Gel
• Like Like
• Miniblin
• Red ChuChu
• Rock ChuChu

Items

• Bomchu (Dungeon Key Item)
• Crimsonine (Pure Metal)
• Treasure Chart
• Sand of Hours
• Heart Container

Boss

• Dongorongo, Armored Lizard

Link and Gongoron must team up to fight the Goron Temple’s boss as well, using the heavier Goron to charge and knock Dongorongo off balance and then quickly switching to Link to attack its vulnerable spots. This basically involves using Gongoron to charge the boss, at which point players can switch to Link and fire off a Bombchu into its open mouth. After hurting Dongorongo a few times, the battle will appear to be over and Gongoron will leave the arena. However, Dongorongo will briefly revive for a short second phase in which Link must toss Bombs into his mouth as he inhales. Doing so will stun him, opening him up for sword slashes.

Temple of Ice

As the name of the temple implies, the Temple of Ice is a treacherous dungeon filled with ice-elemental enemies and plenty of slick surfaces that are hard to navigate. The Boomerang is one of Link’s most valuable tools in the first part of the dungeon before he acquires the temple’s main treasure, the Grappling Hook. After getting the Grappling Hook, Link will need to use the new tool to solve just about every puzzle in the latter part of the dungeon and defeat its boss.

Enemies

• Blade Trap
• Blue ChuChu
• Gel
• Ice Bubble
• Ice Keese
• Red ChuChu
• Rock ChuChu
• Stag Beetle
• Yook (Mini-Boss)

Items

• Grappling Hook (Dungeon Key Item)
• Azurine (Pure Metal)
• Wisdom Gem
• Heart Container

Boss

• Gleeok

The Gleeok is a classic Zelda boss enemy whose first appearance dates back to the first Legend of Zelda. This two-headed dragon appears in many different forms throughout the series, but the version players fight in Phantom Hourglass is one of the more unique. Each of Gleeok’s heads has a different elemental affinity, with the blue ice head being weak to fire and the red flame head being weak to ice. Using the Grappling Hook, Link can create “tightropes” that deflect the attacks of one of Gleeok’s heads onto the other. Essentially, this first phase is just Link tricking the boss into damaging itself.

After doing this a few times, the Gleeok will catch on and destroy the pegs in the arena, causing Link to need a change in strategy. Use the Grappling Hook on the Gleeok’s tongue to slam its head to the floor, following up with a series of sword slashes.

Mutoh’s Temple

The final main dungeon in Phantom Hourglass, Mutoh’s Temple is akin to a tomb, with undead Stalfos swarming the place. The dungeon’s main item, the Hammer, is actually acquired fairly early, with Link needing to use it to defeat the Shell Spinner enemies and solve many of the temple’s puzzles. The defining feature of the dungeon is a main hub room that Link will continually return to. In this large area, Link will continually raise and lower the water level to create new pathways. Many of these new paths lead to previously unexplored parts of the dungeon, eventually granting access to the boss arena.

Enemies

• Green Rupee Like
• Keese
• Stalfos
• Stalfos Warrior
• Shell Spinner

Items

• Hammer (Dungeon Key Item)
• Aquanine (Pure Metal)
• Courage Gem
• Sand of Hours
• Heart Container

Boss

• Eox, Ancient Stone Soldier

While Eox is by far the largest boss in Phantom Hourglass, it’s not all that difficult. Despite its imposing size, the design of Eox somewhat gives away the strategy to defeat it, which involves using the Hammer to smash the red pegs all over its body. Using the Hammer, Link can launch himself into the air and then smash the pegs. After destroying all the pegs, Eox’s armor will crumble to reveal a skeleton underneath. A second set of pegs will appear on the skeleton form, indicating the same strategy applies. Destroying the second set of pegs eliminates the skeleton, leaving just a skull. In this final phase, launch Link into the air again using the Hammer and slash the weak spot on top of the skull using the sword.

Temple of the Ocean King

Link will visit the Temple of the Ocean King a total of 6 times throughout his adventure. Each time he comes back, he can venture deeper and deeper into its labyrinthine corridors thanks to having more sand in his Phantom Hourglass. The more Sand of Hours Link has, the longer he can stay inside the dungeon without his health being drained. After acquiring the three Pure Metals and forging the Phantom Sword, Link can venture to the bottom floor of the temple. It’s there that he will confront Bellum, eventually fighting him on the wreck of the Ghost Ship.

Enemies

• Phantoms

Items

• Phantom Hourglass
• Sea Charts (x4)

Boss

• Bellum

The first phase against Bellum is somewhat straightforward, with Link needing to free the creature of purple ooze. Bellum will float around in a pool of the stuff, and Link can use the Grappling Hook to pull globs of it off him. Eventually, after clearing off all the ooze, Bellum will become stunned. Use this opportunity to slash him with the sword, causing him to retreat. In the next part of the fight, Link will need to use his Bow to target Bellum’s tentacles. Aim for the eyeball-like weak sports, slashing the ooze minions if Link runs out of arrows.

After a scene in which Bellum turns into an orb, Link will return to the bottom floor. Here, stay close to the pool of ooze and draw an hourglass symbol on the DS’ screen when prompted. This will freeze time for a brief moment, allowing Link to get some slashes in on Bellum.

Bellum will flee the fight in the Ocean Temple, heading to the Ghost Ship. Link will take down the Ghost Ship using the SS Linbeck’s cannon, but Bellum will then possess Linbeck. This final phase of the fight is a duel between Link and Bellumbeck. Once again, Celia will send out spheres giving Link the opportunity to freeze time. When she does this, draw an hourglass after receiving the prompt to do so. Link can slash at Bellum’s weak flank, but it does no damage because his eye isn’t open. Celia gets captured, with her view taking up the top screen of the DS. Use what she sees to carefully duel Bellumbeck, occasionally locking swords with the foe and using the spheres after he becomes stunned.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass key art.